


No Animal Testing Please

by aryelee



Series: The Senpai Collection [1]
Category: Notice Me Senpai! (Video Game)
Genre: Anyways, Baa's real name is Akira, Here u go, I probably should have known that, M/M, oh well, this was v much inspired by fanart i saw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-07-11 03:06:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7024990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aryelee/pseuds/aryelee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akira had always dealt with social anxiety, but the goat mask helped - it was essentially a security blanket. </p><p>And it helped. It really did. If only it weren't for Cupids trying to shoot him with arrows and science-obsessed students trying to experiment on him. Especially unfairly attractive science-obsessed students.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Animal Testing Please

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in half an hour at midnight dont expect it to be good
> 
> also you can give me a pairing to write i will do any of the senpais

Akira had come to rely on the goat mask. It made him ready to face the day, made him feel safe from the stares of other students (despite the fact that it only brought more stares), and made him feel brave - it was like a safety blanket.

He had always dealt with social anxiety, the simple act of looking into someone’s eyes making him nauseous with nerves. The feeling of eyes watching his every move made his hands shake. But the mask helped. It hid him from those eyes, kept him from really being able to look at someone. That was why he had become the mascot.

It was a good thing that he wasn’t the strangest student on campus, or he wouldn’t have been able to even think about going to class, goat mask or not. There were two idols who shared classes with him, for example. He was pretty sure he had seen the blond idol wearing a shirt with his own face on it when he was out of uniform. There was also a Cupid who shot people with arrows and occasionally tried hunting him. Akira had yet to convince him that he wasn’t actually a goat.There was also a student who loved science - best grades in the school, actually. Sometimes Akira would go to a class to ask a teacher a question, and he would be there, lab coat and goggles and red hair. He would look up when the door opened and grin, as Akira would hold his hands up and beg him not to use him or his goat mask for an experiment. He certainly was strange, and a little dangerous.

Speaking of, he was in the classroom Akira had just entered.

“No animal testing!” he cried out immediately upon catching sight of the science student. “Also, I’m human!”

He laughed. That was… not the usual reaction.

“I’m not doing an experiment today!” he informed with a bright smile.

Akira lowered his hands slowly. “You’re not?”

“Well, I am, but not that sort. The experiment I’m doing today is purely social and psychological.”

“Oh,” was all Akira said. “Um, do you know where the teacher is?”

He shrugged. “Sorry, no clue. He wasn’t here when I came in.”

“Um, okay. Thanks. Bye.” He left the classroom quickly after that, heart racing and hands shaking. In the hallway, he took a deep breath, adjusted the goat mask, and forced his hands to still before walking again. There would be time later to figure out why the science student’s smile had caused such a reaction.

They meet again later that day, at the new cafe on campus. It was run by the first female student accepted into the school, and the cakes were delicious. Science student was already there when he walked in, and waved when he spotted Akira. Surprised, Akira could only offer back a weak wave before escaping to his table in the corner. The barista, a bubbly, cheerful girl quickly set down some tea and his cake, so used to him being there that she had memorized his order.

Akira only had a few minutes of peace to finish his cake. It was ten minutes after he sat down that science student appeared by his side. With a quick movement and a yell of, “For science!” he yanked off the goat mask.

Akira immediately felt his cheeks burn, and curled into himself, feeling over-exposed. “Please,” he said, reaching a hand out for his mask, peeking up at science student for the other, “Give it back.”

For a moment, science student looked stunned, his cheeks red and blue eyes wide. Then, he seemed to regain himself and grinned, holding the goat mask out behind him.

“Come and get it then,” he whispered, voice dangerously low as he leaned down closer to Akira.

Akira reached for his mask, unintentionally leaning closer to science student until their foreheads were almost pressed together.

“Please,” he said again, “Give it back.”

“Now why would I let you hide your lovely face again?”

Akira buried his head in his hands, giving up on getting his mask back. “Please don’t tease me,” he whispered.

“But you look so adorable when you blush!”

He whined into the palms of his hands and science student chuckled.

“Sorry,” he said, though Akira could tell was really wasn’t. “Teasing you is just so much fun.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled sourly. Science student laughed again.

There was a loud noise, and when Akira looked up, science student was sitting backwards on a chair in front of him, head resting on his arms and grinning.

 _‘Unfair,’_ Akira thought, _‘No one is allowed to look that good.’_

“So,” science student began, “What’s your name? Cause I still don’t know it even though I see you around a lot.”

“... Akira.”

“I’m Reiji! It’s nice to officially meet you.”

“I wish I could say the same.”

Reiji had a loud laugh, Akira notice, one that made you want to join in. He threw his head back when he laughed, and did this thing where he would tilt his head to one side once he was done. Akira couldn’t stop staring.

“Sorry for that, by the way,” Reiji said, gesturing to the goat mask on the table that Akira had somehow not noticed, “It was an experiment.”

Akira didn’t respond. Instead, he stared at the goat mask, wondering why he was so _comfortable_ with Reiji when he normally couldn’t even look at someone when they talked to him. For all the times Reiji had chased him with sharp objects, Akira felt oddly at ease around him.

“Oh.”

Reiji was still smiling. “Anyways, we should go now. The cafe’s gonna close soon.”

 “Already?”

“You got here pretty late, Akira.”

Something about hearing his name in Reiji’s voice made him blush.

“Okay,” he replied. “We should go then.”

They both stood and put everything back where it came from then payed the barista and thanked her. She waved them both goodbye as they left the cafe. Reiji responded with a big, enthusiastic wave while Akira only gave a small wave and put his mask back on.

They walked in silence for a while before Reiji grabbed Akira’s wrist.

“There’s one more experiment I’d like to do before the day ends,” he said.

“No animal testing!” Akira responded, purely out of habit. “And I’m still human!”

Reiji laughed. “Don’t worry, it isn’t one of those experiments. But you do need to take your mask off.”

Akira raised his hands to touch his mask. He’d have to take it off? He didn’t have much of a chance to ask why before Reiji was gently removing it. Once it was off, he forced Akira’s chin up with a gentle hand. “Sorry for springing this on you without any warning,” he whispered.

And then he was kissing Akira and Akira was frozen, didn’t know what to do, wondering how they managed to reach that point when their relationship was new and built off of a scientist chasing a test subject. But he was tentatively kissing back and brought up a hand to wrap around the back of Reiji’s neck, pulling him closer. They kissed for a few seconds longer before Reiji pulled back. Akira’s eyes opened slowly, and when he saw Reiji, he was looking at him with such a soft expression that Akira felt his cheeks burn and felt the need to run away, maybe even curl up with his softest pillow and squeal a little bit.

Akira figured that he probably knew why he was always so nervous and comfortable around Reiji now.

“Something about you had always had my attention,” Reiji whispered, impossibly close and gentle and soft. “I had never seen your face before, but your voice was always soft and I love hearing it. Your reactions always made me smile and somehow I started looking forward to seeing you each day. This experiment was to find two things: if I felt this way because I’m falling in love with you, and if you felt the same way.”

Akira brushed his fingers along Reiji’s cheek with feather light touches. “Did you find your answer?”

Reiji smiled. “I did.”


End file.
